Harriet Harman hits out at TV debate audience rules

Harriet Harman, the deputy Labour leader, has hit out at rules preventing
audience members from clapping or heckling during the live television
debates between party leaders.

10:52AM GMT 07 Mar 2010

The audiences for the three debates between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg in the run-up to the General Election have been banned from booing, hissing and heckling, and restricted to limited applause.

Ms Harman told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: ''Why do we have to control the British audience?

''I mean are Brits going to sit there and be told: 'Don't groan, don't laugh, don't clap'. I don't think people will do that, I think people will engage.''

Dr Liam Fox, shadow defence secretary, compared the rules to those of the ''incredibly sterile'' TV debates between US presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.

He said: ''You were not allowed to applaud, not allowed to cough, not allowed to laugh, not allowed to do anything.